Protesters who have spent the last 24 hours camped out in Baghdad's Green Zone have begun to leave the heavily fortified area.

It comes after hundreds of people, supporters of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, stormed Iraq's government district on Saturday after lawmakers failed to meet for a vote on overhauling the regime.

The crowds, who issued demands for political reform before they left the Green Zone, pledged to return by the end of the week to keep up the pressure.